Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Bell's Hell Hath No Fury... Ale

Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale. 7.7% ABV.
Currently on tap, but I'm looking back on notes from November, 2006. I recall this being released the same time as HopSlam, and I made a fatal error, ordering more of this than the other. HopSlam was instantly popular, and sold out quick. That first version of Hell...emptied out dreadfully slow. These days it's not strictly known as a dubbel, as it was originally conceived, and streams closer to a Belgian-ish stout. Whatever, it's damned tasty, and I'll let the 5 year old notes stand.

Nose is all cocoa powder, with suggestions of maple, nuts, & other sweet, dark and tasty things.

Taste is more of the same, with an appreciated heft to the feel. Comes on and grows spicy on the tongue, coats the palate with a slick, chocolately, syrupy sweetness. Cloys a tad, but still delights. Thins out a touch and dries nicely in the finish.

What I would change here is that in this current iteration, there's very little sweetness, it's more of a dry chocolate, with hints of smoke.